The most notable highlight

The most notable highlight of the Games involved the United States men's ice hockey team. The team was mostly made up of collegiate players and was not predicted to advance beyond group play. They won the gold medal, defeating the heavily favored Soviet team and Finland in the medal round. Their 4–3 defeat of the Soviet team, which came into the '80 Games having won 4 consecutive Olympic gold medals, became known as the "Miracle on Ice" in the U.S. press. The win captured the hearts of Americans during a time of Cold War tensions, even though it was the win against Finland that captured the gold medal. A film about the event, called Miracle, was released in 2004.